$100 surcharge on Pa. speeding tickets seems unlikely

    In the debate over a plan to pay for road and bridge repairs in Pennsylvania, a proposed $100 surcharge on speeding tickets could be on the way out.

    State House Republicans have been upfront with their reservations about the surcharge.

    The caucus spokesman says they heard from constituents who didn’t want their lead feet to be a cash cow for public transportation, which could realize about $100 million from the surcharge.

    But the final straw may have come from some police chiefs who said they’d stop writing speeding tickets if the surcharge became law.

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    “The chief of Pittsburgh Police had said they won’t write tickets on traffic violations because of the added fee,” said House GOP spokesman Steve Miskin. “Tickets are about safety, not about raising money.”

    Rep. Mike McGeehan, the ranking Democrat on the House Transportation Committee, stopped short Wednesday of threatening to pull support for the larger funding plan, but he said he’s disappointed.

    PennDOT’s secretary has said dropping the surcharge could mean renegotiating the entire funding proposal.

    A committee vote on the larger plan could be early next week.

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